Printed electronics offer an attractive alternative to conventional technologies by enabling the creation of large-area, flexible devices at a low cost. There are a plethora of applications for high-conductivity materials with fine-scale features in modern electronics such as solar cell electrodes, flexible displays, radio frequency identification tags, antennas, and many more.
The vast majority of commercially produced conductive inks are specifically designed for inkjet, screen-printing, or roll-to-roll processing methods in order to process large areas with fine-scale features in short time periods. These inks have disparate viscosities and synthesis parameters.
Organometallic complexes have long been used for a number of applications and have recently seen much success and popularity in the field of printed electronics. These complexes are used to create a structure that fully solvates a metallic ion that when deposited and heated creates a conductive, metallic structure. Typically, the inks comprising the metallic complexes are in liquid form at room temperature, which might cause storage and handling problems, and result in short shelf life.